Topic in Oral Health
Dental caries
Prevention, detection, risk, and management of dental caries (decay), including fluorides, sealants, and restorations.
264 systematic reviews in Dental caries ask 5,762 questions. 5.6% have no studies to answer them, 7.9% rest on very low certainty evidence and 4.2% reach moderate or high certainty.
Reviews
264
Questions
5,762
current versions
No studies
5.6%
Moderate or high
4.2%
No studies 321 · 5.6%Ungraded 4,450 · 77.2%Very low 455 · 7.9%Low 297 · 5.2%Moderate 200 · 3.5%High 39 · 0.7%
Ungraded means an effect was reported without a GRADE rating; it is not a gap. No studies means the review found nothing to answer the question. The six categories are a display order, not a score.
Thinnest evidence
All no studies and very low questions| Question | Effect | Evidence | Status / GRADE |
|---|---|---|---|
Partial pulpotomy vs Full (complete) pulpotomy Patient- and clinical-reported outcomes (tooth survival, clinical/radiographic success, pain) · Asymptomatic permanent teeth with deep caries (no symptoms) The effectiveness of partial pulpotomy compared with full pulpotomy in managing deep caries in vital… (2025) | no estimate extracted | 0 studies | No studies |
Calcium vs Control Immediate (24 h) resin-dentin bond strength (MPa) · permanent human teeth with artificial caries-affected dentin · 24 h, Etch-and-Rinse; chemical ACAD Biomimetic Remineralization Strategies for Dentin Bond Stability-Systematic Review and Network Meta-Analysis. (2025) | MD -0.508 [-8.207, 7.191] | 3 studies | Very low |
Children with dental caries vs Children without dental caries (caries-free) Mean corpuscular volume (MCV) · Children and adolescents (0-18 years; most included reviews focused on <6 years) Association Between Iron Deficiency Anemia and Dental Caries in Children: A Systematic Umbrella Meta-Analysis. (2025) | MD -1.96 [-4.02, 0.10] | 3 studies | Very low |
HIV infection with antiretroviral therapy (ART/HAART) vs HIV-negative individuals Dental caries (presence/absence) · Children and adolescents under 18 years with HIV · Not specified (cross-sectional), Cross-sectional studies Association between antiretroviral therapy and dental caries in children and adolescents with HIV: a… (2025) | OR 2.04 [1.21, 3.42] | 6 studies · 2206 participants | Very low |
HIV infection with antiretroviral therapy (ART/HAART) vs HIV-negative individuals Dental caries severity (dmft index, primary dentition) · Children and adolescents under 18 years with HIV · Not specified (cross-sectional), Cross-sectional studies; dmft index Association between antiretroviral therapy and dental caries in children and adolescents with HIV: a… (2025) | MD 0.92 [-0.09, 1.93] | 5 studies · 1502 participants | Very low |
Cavity liner (calcium hydroxide, glass-ionomer cement, resin-modified calcium silicate/TheraCal LC, hydraulic calcium silicate/MTA or Biodentine, flowable composite, or other liner material) vs No cavity liner or a different liner material Treatment failure · Patients with deep caries lesions in mature or immature permanent (posterior) teeth, with no symptoms or reversible… · >=12 months Efficacy of different cavity liners compared to no cavity lining in managing deep caries in vital permanent… (2025) | No significant difference; 96.5% of treated teeth remained vital | 12 studies · 1184 participants | Very low |
Cavity liner (calcium hydroxide, glass-ionomer cement, resin-modified calcium silicate/TheraCal LC, hydraulic calcium silicate/MTA or Biodentine, flowable composite, or other liner material) vs No cavity liner or a different liner material Postoperative hypersensitivity · Patients with deep caries lesions in mature or immature permanent (posterior) teeth, with no symptoms or reversible… · 7 days to 3 months Efficacy of different cavity liners compared to no cavity lining in managing deep caries in vital permanent… (2025) | No significant difference; minimal pain reported | 9 studies · 1000 participants | Very low |
Secondary (passive/secondhand) smoking exposure during childhood vs No secondary smoking exposure Caries prevalence (early childhood caries) · Preschool children aged <=71 months (caries outcome assessed at 3-6 years) · Caries prevalence at 3-6 years, Overall Secondary Smoking and Early Childhood Caries: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis. (2025) | OR 1.77 [1.57, 2.01] | 11 studies · 14,794 participants | Very low |
Cavity liner (calcium hydroxide, glass-ionomer cement, resin-modified calcium silicate/TheraCal LC, hydraulic calcium silicate/MTA or Biodentine, flowable composite, or other liner material) vs No cavity liner or a different liner material Oral health-related quality of life (OHRQoL) · Patients with deep caries lesions in mature or immature permanent (posterior) teeth, with no symptoms or reversible… · >=6 months Efficacy of different cavity liners compared to no cavity lining in managing deep caries in vital permanent… (2025) | no estimate extracted | 0 studies | No studies |
quantitative light-induced fluorescence (QLF) vs reference standard detection of proximal caries · primary teeth with proximal caries · primary dentition Diagnostic accuracy of quantitative light-induced fluorescence in detecting caries of various types and… (2025) | no estimate extracted | 0 studies | No studies |
HIV infection with antiretroviral therapy (ART/HAART) vs HIV-negative individuals Dental caries severity (DMFT index, permanent dentition) · Children and adolescents under 18 years with HIV · Not specified (cross-sectional), Cross-sectional studies; DMFT index Association between antiretroviral therapy and dental caries in children and adolescents with HIV: a… (2025) | MD 0.60 [-0.53, 1.72] | 4 studies · 1390 participants | Very low |
Intervention NR Tooth survival · - The effectiveness of partial pulpotomy compared with full pulpotomy in managing deep caries in vital… (2025) | no estimate extracted | 0 studies | No studies |
Reviews 264
Caries in orphan children: prevalence and determinants-a systematic review and meta-analysis.
Non-Cochranefull textaetiology23 included studies
5 questions
Comparative Meta-Analysis of Minimally Invasive and Conventional Approaches for Caries Removal in Permanent Dentition.
Non-Cochranefull textintervention11 included studies
2 questions
Characterization of the oral microbiota and the relationship of the oral microbiota with the dental and periodontal status in children and adolescents with nonsyndromic cleft lip and palate. Systematic literature review and meta-analysis.
Non-Cochranefull textaetiology24 included studies
8 questions
Association between prenatal vitamin D deficiency with dental caries in infants and children: a systematic review and meta-analysis.
Non-Cochranefull textaetiology16 included studies
16 questions
Clinical Effects of Sugar Substitutes on Cariogenic Bacteria: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis.
Non-Cochranefull textintervention49 included studies
8 questions
Clinical and ex-vivo effect of LASERs on prevention of early-enamel caries: systematic review & meta-analyses.
Non-Cochranefull textintervention8 included studies
6 questions
Association between periodontitis and dental caries: a systematic review and meta-analysis.
Non-Cochranefull textaetiology34 included studies
31 questions
Association of Breastfeeding and Early Childhood Caries: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis.
Non-Cochranefull textaetiology61 included studies
19 questions
Periodontitis and the risk of oral cancer: a meta-analysis of case-control studies.
Non-Cochranefull textaetiology16 included studies
11 questions
Effect of flavonoids from grape seed and cranberry extracts on the microbiological activity of Streptococcus mutans: a systematic review of in vitro studies.
Non-Cochranefull textintervention22 included studies
26 questions
Efficacy of pulpotomy for permanent teeth with carious pulp exposure: A systematic review and meta-analysis of randomized controlled trials.
Non-Cochranefull textintervention25 included studies
39 questions
Prevalence of dental caries and associated factors among primary school children in Ethiopia: systematic review and meta-analysis.
Non-Cochranefull textaetiology10 included studies
12 questions
Maternal smoking during pregnancy and early childhood dental caries in children: a systematic review and meta-analysis.
Non-Cochranefull textaetiology12 included studies
17 questions
Efficacy of Probiotic Consumption on Oral Outcomes in Children and/or Adolescents: A Meta-Analysis.
Non-Cochranefull textintervention19 included studies
11 questions
Activity and levels of TNF-α, IL-6 and IL-8 in saliva of children and young adults with dental caries: a systematic review and meta-analysis.
Non-Cochranefull textaetiology15 included studies
3 questions
Teledentistry accuracy for caries diagnosis: a systematic review of in-vivo studies using extra-oral photography methods.
Non-Cochranefull textDTA19 included studies
16 questions
A systematic review and meta-analysis on early-childhood-caries global data.
Non-Cochranefull textaetiology141 included studies
32 questions
Childhood obesity in relation to risk of dental caries: a cumulative and dose-response systematic review and meta-analysis.
Non-Cochranefull textaetiology24 included studies
21 questions
Genome-wide association meta-analysis identifies two novel loci associated with dental caries.
Non-Cochranefull textaetiology1 included studies
8 questions
RETRACTED: The association between mode of childbirth delivery and early childhood caries: A comprehensive systematic review and meta-analysis.
Non-Cochranefull textaetiology33 included studies
19 questions
Spontaneous space closure after extraction of permanent first molars in children and adolescents: a systematic review and meta-analysis.
Non-Cochranefull textprognostic18 included studies
31 questions
Association of vitamin D receptor gene polymorphisms with caries risk in children: a systematic review and meta-analysis.
Non-Cochranefull textaetiology10 included studies
54 questions
Can Orthodontic Adhesive Systems Inhibit the Formation and Development of White Spot Lesions During Fixed Orthodontic Treatment? A Systematic Review.
Non-Cochranefull textintervention12 included studies
33 questions
Systematic review of oral health in slums and non-slum urban settings of Low and Middle-Income Countries (LMICs): Disease prevalence, determinants, perception, and practices.
Non-Cochranefull textaetiology23 included studies
20 questions
Oral health status of children with intellectual and developmental disabilities in India: a systematic review and meta-analysis.
Non-Cochranefull textprognostic29 included studies
4 questions